CHAMPCAR/CART: Corby: Team Player's preview

England race energizes Team Player's drivers Carpentier and Tagliani
Corby, England, September 12, 2002 Team Player's driver Patrick
Carpentier got his name into the Rockingham Motor Speedway record book
last year, when the CART series paid its...

England race energizes Team Player's drivers Carpentier and Tagliani

Corby, England, September 12, 2002 Team Player's driver Patrick
Carpentier got his name into the Rockingham Motor Speedway record book
last year, when the CART series paid its first visit to the new facility.
Carpentier had the fastest race lap around the 1.479-mile oval with a
speed of 210.859 (339 kms/h) miles per hour, but he was unable to turn
that performance into a race win, a situation he would like to change
when he takes to the track this Saturday for the Rockingham 500.

"I would gladly have traded the fastest race lap for the race win,"
said Carpentier. "I remember that we had a difficult time early in the
race, especially on cold tires. But the Team Player's car got better as
the race went along. Actually, it was on the 134th lap that we were able
to run the fastest race lap, and that was near the end of the race
because the race was shortened due to darkness."

Rain and a soggy track combined to disrupt the inaugural Rockingham 500.
Practice sessions and qualifying were cancelled and it wasn't until the
warm-up session on the morning of the race that teams and drivers were
able to run enough laps to get a feel for the new track.

"It's a really unique oval in that it is more like a square, with the
turns practically at right angles," said Carpentier. "The straights
aren't very long, so there aren't as many passing opportunities as you
would find on a more conventional oval. But I liked what I saw of that
track last year and if we're able to get in full sessions this weekend I
expect us to do well."

Team Player's already has a podium finish this season on a 1.5-mile
oval Carpentier's teammate Alex Tagliani turned in a second-place
performance on the Twin Ring in Motegi, Japan, in April.

"Getting the podium in Japan adds to our confidence for the Rockingham
race," admitted Tagliani, who has recorded points in each of his last 10
races. "It's been a couple of months since our last race on an oval, so
it will be good to race on that type of track again. Team Player's has
consistently had a fast car for this type of track."

While Tagliani remembers the inclement weather that settled on Rockingham
last year, he also recalls that the race itself produced one of the most
exciting finishes of the season, with Sweden's Kenny Brack and eventual
race winner Gil de Ferran having an intense battle to the checkered flag.

"If the weather cooperates, it should be a battle to the wire again this
year because Rockingham is the type of track where you just try to hang
back until that final sprint to the finish line," remarked Tagliani.